Door operating mechanism



y 1 H. c. MAY ETAL I 2,558,867

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24. 1949 .IEL'g. 1

146 o 144 14g m 136 It .5 I1 2 9 JNVENTOR. -Harry G Mag y EZZZG E. Hes-u): QM 64%,

A TmRNE Y Patented July 3, 1951 DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Harry 0. May, East McKeesport, and Ellis E.

Hewitt, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to The Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmer-ding, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application April 20, 1948, 'Serial No.

22,208. Divided and this application September 24, 1949, Serial No. 117,701

4 Claims. (Cl. 268-64) This invention relates to door operating mechanism and more particularly to apparatus for controlling operation of such as coal bunker doors, the present being a division of our copending application, Serial No. 22,208, filed April 20, 1948.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of apparatus for controlling remotely, opening of a pair of doors, one of which overlaps the other, and closure of same sequentially.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic view, partly in outline and partly in section, of door operating mechanism and control apparatus for same; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing details of an interlock device employed in the control apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for operation of a selector valve device, several of which are employed in the control apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Description The coal bunker I, a portion of which is shown in elevation in Fig. 1, may be in the form of a substantially rectangular tank for storing coal therein. Doors H8, H9 are provided at the top of the bunker, hinged at their outer edge, and arranged to be swung upwardly on their hinges to open the bunker for adding coal. To provide a weather-tight seal, the bunker door I I9 overlaps the door H8 in their closed position. To look the bunker doors closed, a latch I20 engages the overlapping edges of said doors in closed position. Latch I20 may be secured to one end of a rod I2I pivotally mounted in brackets I22, I23 spaced apart and secured to an end wall of the bunker. By turning movement of rod I2I, the latch may be brought into and out of engagementwith the uppermost overlapping bunker door II 9 for respectively locking and unlocking same. For actuating the rod I 2I a latch operating cylinder I24 is provided which may contain two pistons I25, I26 spaced apart and rigidly secured one with the other by means of an operating rod I21 common to both. The rod I21 extends outwardly from the cylinder I24 and may be pivotally connected to a lever I28 attached to the end of rod I 2| so that reciprocal movement of rod I21 will cause turning movement of rod I2I. The casing of the cylinder I24 may be pivotally connected to an arm I30 secured to the bunker-wall to allow necessary freedom for turning movement of lever 2 I28. The pistons I25, I26 are so adapted and arranged that when latch I20 is in its locked position, in which it is shown in the drawing, piston I lies adjacent an end wall I3I of cylinder I24, with piston I26 disposed away from an opposite end wall I32 of said cylinder. Within the cylinder I24, the wall I3I serves to define, with piston I25, a latch-unlocking pressure chamber I33, and end wall I32 serves to define a latchlocking pressure chamber I34 with piston I26. An atmospheric chamber I35 is formed within the cylinder intermediate the two pistons, a port or pipe I36 being provided to open said chamber to the atmosphere. A control pipe or line I31 is provided for supplying and releasing fluid under pressure to and from the latch-unlocking pressure chamber I33, and another pipe or line I38 is provided for supplying and releasing fluid under pressure to and from the latch-locking pressure chamber I34. While chamber. I34 is vented to the atmosphere, if fluid under pressure is supplied to the chamber I 33, the pistons I 25, I26 and rod I 21 are caused to move in the direction of the first mentioned chamber to effect unlocking of the latch I 20. Conversely, if chamber I33 is vented to the atmosphere and chamber I34 supplied with fluid under pressure, the pistons I25, I26 and rod I21 are caused to move in the direction of the flrst'mentioned chamber for moving the latch I20 back to its locked position.

To operate the bunker door I I8, a fluid pressure cylinder device I40 may be provided, while a similar cylinder device I4I may be provided for operating the door I I9. Cylinder devices I40, I may comprise a piston I42 (shown in broken outline) having a door-opening chamber I43 at one side and a door-closing chamber I44 at the opposite side. A rod I45 attached to piston I42 is pivotally connected at I46 to a lever I41 secured to the respective bunker door. Assuming the bunker doors to be unlatched, and with the door closing chambers I 44 vented to atmosphere, by supply of fluid under pressure to the door opening chambers I43 in the cylinder devices I40, I the pistons I42 and attached rods I45 are caused to move outwardly, and acting through levers I41, open the bunker doors II8, II 9. By subsequently venting the .door opening chambers I43 to atmosphere and applying fluid under pressure to the door closing chambers I44 in cylinder devices I40 and I, in a similar manner, the bunker doors I I8, II 9 are caused to close. A control pipe or line I48 is connected to the opening chambers I43 in both cylinder devices 140, Ml at each side of the bunker for conveying fluid under pressure thereto and therefrom. For conveying fluid under pressure to and from the door closing chamber I44 in the cylinder device I 40, a pipe or line I49 is provided, and to serve the same purpose with respect to cylinder device I4I, a pipe or line I50 is provided.

According to the invention, we provide controls which assure the proper sequence of operation of the door latch I20 and door operating cylinder devices I40, I4I on each side of the coal Fbunker in efiecting opening and closing oi the bunker doors.

An interlock valve device I55 is provided at the end of the bunker door I I 8. Valve device I55 may be secured to an end wall of the bunker in such 4 a manner as to be operable by a projecting element I56 carried by the door II8. Similarly, an interlock valve device I51 is disposed at the end of the bunker door I I9 and secured to the end wall of the bunker. A projecting element I58 is provided on the door I I9 and secured thereto for operating the valve device I51.

\ which may be called "open, rest," and close.-

In open" position, the valve device I10 connects pipe I I5 to pipe I31 and pipe I49 to pipe I14. .Iin

"rest position, device I10 connects pipes I31, I49 to pipe I14, while pipe H5 is blanked off. In close position, device I10 connects pipe I49 to pipe H5 and pipe I31 to pipe I14.

With the selector valve devices I10 in "rest" position, the doors II 0, I I9 closed, and the latch I in locked position, if it is desired to open the doors to supply coal to the bunker I, for example, the operator's handle I13 of either selector valve device I10 may be moved to "open position, whereupon fluid under pressure from the line I I5 is suppled to the line I31 while pipe I49 remains open to the exhaust pipe I14. Fluid under pressure thus supplied to the line I31 flows into cham- Referring to Fig. 2, each of the interlock valve devices I55, I51 may comprise a casing having a chamber I60, a chamber I6I, and an exhaust chamber I62 formed therein. A valve I63 is provided for controlling communication between the chamber I60 and the chamber "SI, and a valve I64 is provided for controlling communication between the chamber I6I and the exhaust chamber I62 which is open to atmosphere via an exhaust port I65 in the casing. A control-spring I66 is arranged to urge the valve I63 to a normally closed position, while the exhaust valve I64 is held in a normally open position. An operating stem I61 is secured to the exhaust valve I64 and projects outside the casing. The valves I63, I64 are so arranged that when the stem I61 is displaced inwardly of the casing I 59, the valve I64 is seated and the valve I63 unseated. Chamber I60 of interlock valve device I55 is connected to the pipe I49. The chamber I6I, of the interlock valve device I55, is connected to the pipe I50. When door H0 is closed, stem I61 of device I55 will be depressed, valve I 64 will be closed, valve I63 will be open, and therefore pipe I49 will be connected to pipe I50 via said device I55. When the door I I0 is opened, element I56 secured to said door will leave stem I 61 of device I55 and allow valve I63 to close, and valve I64 to open so that pipe I50 is opened to atmosphere via chambers I6I, I62 and exhaust port I65.

The chamber I60 of interlock valve device I51 is connected to the pipe I49, but the delivery chamber I 6| of said device is connected to the pipe I30. A pipe I12 is connected to the pipe I48 and via a port I12 to the cylinder device I24 in such a manner that after piston I25 is caused to move a distance away from end wall I3I suflicient to cause the latch I20 to move out of locking position, said pipe will open to chamber I33. 6 For controlling operation of the bunker door operating mechanism, two selector valve devices I10 are provided which may be located at any convenient position remote one from the other. Either of the selector valve devices is operable manually by a respective operator's handle I13 to control communication between the pipes I49, I31 and a fluid pressure supply pipe, such as a branch of the control supply pipe H5 and an,

exhaust pipe I14. Details of the valve devices I10 are not shown, but each may be of the wellknown rotary valve type.

Referring to Fig. 3, the rotary valve may be moved by handle I13 to any one of three positions ber I33 in the latch operating cylinder device I24 where it acts on position I25 to cause its movement in the direction of chamber I35 for effecting movement of latch I20 to an unlocked position. At the same time, chamber I34 is open to the atmosphere via pipe I30, valve device I51 and pipe I49. In thus moving, piston I25 opens pipe I12 to chamber I33, so that fluid under pressure then flows from said chamber into pipe I40 via said pipe I12, whence it flows into the door opening chambers I43 in the cylinder devices I40, I4I. At this time, chamber I44 in device I40, will be open to atmosphere by way of pipe I49 and the respective selector valve device I10, and chamber I44 in device I4I will be open to the atmosphere by way of pipe I50, valve device I55, and pipe I49, so that fluid under pressure thus supplied to chambers I 43 in the devices I40, I causes the bunker doors I I8, and H9 to open. As the doors open, the interlock valve devices I55 and I51 assume positions in which respective pipes I38 and I50 are vented to the atmosphere locally by way of ports I in said devices.

When it is desired subsequently to close the bunker doors H8, H9, the respective selector valve device I10 is moved to close position, opening pipe I31 to exhaust pipe I14 and connecting pipe I49 to the supply line II5. Fluid under pressure in the door opening chambers I43 of cylinder devices I40, MI is thus vented to the atmosphere via pipes I48, I12, chamber I33 in cylinder device I24, pipe I31, and pipe I14 in the selector valve device I10. Fluid under pressure supplied as above to the pipe I49, will flow directly to the chamber I 60 of interlock valve device I55, to the corresponding chamber I60 in interlock valve device I51, and to the door closing chamber I44 of cylinder device I40. With both doors H0 and IIS open at this time it will be appreciated that in interlock valve devices I55 and I51, since their respective stems I61 will be fully extended, their respective valves I63 will be closed so that fluid under pressure supplied to their respective chambers I60 will not reach pipes I50 and I38 which will remain vented by way of the respective unseated valves I64 in said interlock devices. The chamber I44 in cylinder device I41 and chamber I34 in latch operating cylinder I24 will remain vented via pipe I30 so that door H9 and latch I20 will remain openat I45. With closure of door II8, the projecting element I56 carried by said door is brought into engagement with stem I61 of device I55, displacing said S em inwardly. As previously described, the valve I64 in device I55 is closed by inward movement of stem I61 while the valve I 63 is opened, 50 that pipe I49 is now connected to pipe I50 by way of chambers I60, IGI. Fluid under pressure from pipe I49 will now flow into pipe I50 to the door closing chamber I44 in cylinder device I4I to effect closure of the door H9 in manner similar to that previously described. overlapping door H8. It will be seen that by means of the control means herein disclosed, closure of the bunker doors is effected sequentially so that door II9 overlaps door I I 8 in order to obtain the proper closure. When door H9 is closed, through displacement of stem I61 in interlock valve device I51 by the projecting element I58 carried by said door, as was previously described, the pipe I49 is connected via said device I51 to the pipe I38. Fluid under pressure will then flow from pipes I49, I38 into chamber I34 of the cylinder device I24, whereupon the pressure of said fluid acting on piston I26 will effect movement of the latch I20 to locked position. The handle I13 in the respective selector valve device I may then be returned to rest position, venting both pipes I49 and I31 to the atmosphere.

It will thus be seen that means are. provided whereby unlocking and opening, and closing and locking of the bunker doors is automatically-effected in the proper sequence by selective positioning of an operator's selector valve device I10.

By means of double check valves I inserted in branches of the pipes I49 and I 31 connected to the respective valve devices I 10, one of said devices I10 is isolated from the system when the other of said devices I 10 is operated.

Having now described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Apparatus for controlling opening and closing of a door comprising a first pipe, a second pipe, a second pipe, a selector valve for supplying fluid under pressure to either one of said pipes while venting the other, a double acting fluid pressure operated door cylinder operable by fluid under pressure in a door opening chamber to open said door and by fluid under pressure in a door closing chamber connected to said second pipe to close said door, a latch for holding said door closed, a double acting latch operating cylinder having one pressure chamber open to said first pipe and having a second pressure chamber and responsive to supply of fluid under pressure to said one pressure chamber to release said latch and then establish communication between said first pipe and said door opening chamber and responsive to supply of fluid under pressure to said second pressure chamber to lock said latch, and interlock means operable by closing of said door to connect said second pipe to said second pressure chamber.

2. Apparatus for controlling opening and 0105-- ing of a door, comprising a first fluid pressure pipe, a second fluid pressure pipe, a fluid pressure supply pipe, a fluid pressure exhaust pipe, a selector valve device operable to establish fluid pressure connection between said supply pipe and either saidfirst fluid pressure pipe or said second fluid pressure pipe and between said exhaust pipe and either said second fluid pressure pipe or said first fluid pressure pipe, respectively, a fluid pressure reciprocable piston operatively connected to said door and subject opposingly to pressure oi fluid in a door-opening chamber and in a door-closing chamber connected to said 6 second fluid pressure pipe, a latch movable into and out of locking engagement with said door when closed, a latch operating'cylinder comprising two spaced-apart reciprocable pistons operatively connected to said latch and subject opposingly to pressure of fluid in a latch-locking chamber and in a latch-unlocking chamber connected to said first fluid pressure pipe, said pistons being movable to a latch-locking position in response to supply of fluid under pressure to said latch-locking chamber and to a latch-unlocking position in response to supply 01' fluid under pressure to said latch-unlocking chamber, said cylinder having an atmospheric port located to constantly vent the space between said spacedapart pistons and having a second port located to open to said space in latch-locking position of said pistons and to open to said latch-unlocking chamber substantially upon attainment of said pistons to their latch-unlocking position, said second port being connected to said door-opening chamber, an interlock valve device operable to one position or another position to selectively establish fluid pressure connection between said latch-opening chamber and either the atmosphere or said second fluid pressure pipe, respectively, and an element attached to said door to actuate said interlock device to its said other position upon closing of said door and to its said one position upon opening of said door.

3. The combination with a pair of doors, one door of which is adapted to overlap the other door in closed position of both, a first and second fluid pressure door operating means operatively connected to said one door and to said other door, respectively, sure latch means operable to lock and unlock said doors, operator's valve means controlling unlocking, locking and opening, closing operation of said latch means and said door operating means, respectively, first interlock means interposed between said operators valve means and said first door operating means operable by movement of said other door to prevent door closing operation of said first door operating means until said other door is closed, and second interlock means interposed between said operators valve means and said latch means operable by movement of said one door to prevent locking operation of said latch means until said one door is closed.

4. Apparatus for controlling opening and closing of a pair of doors, one door of which overlaps the other door in closed position of both, comprising a fluid pressure supply pipe, a fluid pressure exhaust pipe, a first control pipe, a second control pipe, a selector valve device operable to estabnish fluid pressure connection between said supply pipe and either said first control pipe or said second control pipe and between said exhaust pipe and either said second control pipe or said first control pipe, respectively,-a first reciprocable piston operatively connected to said one door and exposed to a first door-opening chamber at its one side and to a first door-closing chamber at its opposite side, a second reciprocable piston operatively connected to said other door and exposed to a second door-opening chamber at one side and to a second door-closing chamber at its opposite side connected to said second control pipe, a latch movable into and out of locking engagement with said one door when closed, a latch operating cylinder comprising two spacedapart reciprocable pistons operatively connected to said latch, said pistons being subject opposto open and close same, fluid pres-' able to a latch-locked position in response to supply of fluid under pressure to said latchlocking chamber and to a latch-unlocked position in response to supply of fluid under pressure v to said latch-unlocking chamber, said cylinder having an atmospheric port located to constantly vent the space between said pistons and having a second port located to open to said space in said latch-locked position of said pistons and to open to said latch-unlocking chamber substantially upon attainment of said pistons to their latchunlocked position, conduit means connecting said second port to both said first door-opening chamber and to said second door-opening chamber, a first interlock valve device operable by movement of said other door to establish or disestablish fluid pressure connection between said first 20 2,252,172

8 door-closing chamber and said second control pipe according to whether said other door is closed or open, respectively, and a second interlock valve device operable by movement of said one door to establish or disestablish connection between said latch-unlocking chamber and said second control pipe according to whether said one door is closed or open, respectively.

' HARRY C. MAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,249 Laurent May 12, 1931 1,984,692 Nichols Dec. 18, 1934 Galeazi Aug. 12, 1941 

